POLIS in top five for research impact

100% of the School's REF 2014 submission was deemed to be of 'Very Considerable' or 'Outstanding' impact, placing us in the top 5 in the UK.

With these excellent results, the School has made a significant leap forward in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), advancing 25 places from the 2008 position. This strong performance also sees a considerably improved GPA score of 2.86.

The overall REF profile classes two-thirds of our research as ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’. We are now ranked 23rd out of 56 departments in the UK but our impressive research impact score puts us fifth in the UK for our subject area. This outstanding achievement indicates that POLIS academics are among the very best in the country in terms of engaging with and influencing policy-makers and demonstrating the “real world” impact of their research.

Professor Kevin Theakston, Head of School, says “I am delighted that the hard work and achievement of my colleagues has been recognised in the 2014 REF. The research and policy-impact excellence recognised this year in the REF feeds into our teaching and degree programmes, and helps make the School an exciting place for our students to study in.”